Star Gazing in Costa Rica

The night sky is brilliant in Costa Rica.

We were able to capture a few shooting stars in the picture.

Some of the beauty in Costa Rica.

Amazing capture of 2 toucans

In the mornings and afternoon we enjoy sitting out on the porch watching all the birds that come to the trees surrounding the house. We try to identify them and take pictures. 

The Toucan's are regular visitors to Villa Toucan ( hence the name). We get both the keel billed and the Chestnut billed  and have taken pictures of both. I noticed one day a pair together on a tree beak to beak, which I have never seen. A few days later we are sitting there and 2 Chestnut billed Toucans fly  into the tree right next to the porch. I ask George to take a pic of the pair. 

The one on the left has a broken beak - The one on the right a berry

 While editing the pictures I realized what we just saw. The one Toucan had a broken beak making it impossible to eat a berry off the tree. The other one got the berry and passed it to it so it could eat. 

Amazing. They are taking care of each other. 

Spider Monkey's at the house

There is a troop of Spider Monkey's that pass by the house most days. It is fun to watch them as they swing from tree to tree not stopping very long except to see what we are doing.

Sometimes they will shake the tree at us, telling us to get away

Today the fruit on one of the trees must of been ripe and they had were there enjoying it for some time.

Looks like we catch him doing something he shouldn't be doing.

The amazing Leaf Cutter Ants

Leaf cutter ants are all over Costa Rica.

It is amazing to watch them in long lines, carrying pieces of flowers and leaves. Today there were leaves on the ground and I was able to watch them cut the leaf right in front of me.

Once it is cut they carry it back to their mounds, which can be a long distance. The mounds can be big with millions of ants living there.

Today's Jungle New's

  The howlers generally do their howling at first sunlight 5:00am (occasionally 4:22am) and at sundown. This is to let other troops know where they are. Sometimes during the day they will howl if startled by a loud noise or after it rains. They are in the trees behind the house most days.

Today around 10am all heck break loose and they started really howling. There seem to be 2 troops very close together. We watched a couple come over to the one's troops area, making them really howl. 

5:00am wake up

howlers right outside the window

I am watching a Momma & baby howler while having my morning tea. 

Love the face 

A peaceful morning. 

So Sweet 

Monkey's Everywhere

I was fixing dinner at the house looking out the window when I noticed some branches moving.

 That usually means monkeys. Sure enough I spotted a spider monkey right in the trees outside the window I stopped what I was doing, grabbed my camera and went out back to see if I could get a picture of one. They move fast and are very shy making it hard to get a good picture.

As I was watching the spider monkeys swing from branch to branch I noticed a few Capuchin's checking me out from a tree that the spider monkeys just passed through.

Every time I am here I see something new.
 

Today it was the Semiplumbeous Hawk. Now that is a name?

A Sloth in Mi Casa

After spending the morning at the beach in Punta Uva we decided to stop home for some lunch. I was hanging my towel over the railing to dry when I got caught off guard by a sloth sitting at the steps to the house looking up at me.

I have seen plenty of sloths in this country, up in trees, crossing the road, coming down trees, but never have I had one come to the house.

 I grabbed my camera and spent the next 2 hours watching him trying to make his way up the steps.

He did not seem at all bothered by us so we figured we would just watch and see where he wanted to go.

He finally made it up onto the steps, it was nap time. He took a 2 hour nap right there on the step.